California Judge Rules Trump Admin’s Mass Firings Likely Illegal
Temporary Halt Issued on Federal Employee Terminations / Getty Images A significant legal ruling has emerged from a California courtroom, where US District Judge William Alsup declared that the Trump administration’s mass termination of federal probationary employees likely violates the law. This decision targets the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which directed multiple federal agencies to dismiss thousands of workers, an action the judge deemed beyond its authority. With approximately 200,000 probationary employees in the federal workforce, representing about 10% of civilian government staff, this case shines a spotlight on the administration’s aggressive push to reduce federal employment under the banner of cost-saving measures. Affected agencies include the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and National Park Service, where workers, often in their first or second year, faced sudden job loss. The judge’s temporary restraining order pauses these termination...